All posts tagged Michele Bachmann

The late Chris Farley had a famous Saturday Night Live routine in which he played an exceedingly awkward talk-show host who nervously asked famous guests questions that all began with: “Remember when… .”

So, in the Chris Farley mode, we ask today: “Remember when Michele Bachmann was the leading candidate for the Republican presidential nomination?”

As a tea party favorite in the 2012 Republican primary, Michele Bachmann tapped into the anti-establishment and anti-Obama anger that animated the tea-party movement. That same anger is helping to fuel Donald Trump’s candidacy. Read More »

Far below the machinations to become a serious 2016 presidential candidate is the group jockeying for the fringes of the discussion. These are the candidates who probably won’t run, but want to be considered. Read More »

Political pressure played no role in the Central Intelligence Agency’s analysis of the 2012 attacks in Benghazi, Libya, a former top agency official testified before sometimes-skeptical House lawmakers on Wednesday.

Former CIA Acting Director Michael Morell told a panel of lawmakers that the agency’s understanding of the attacks that killed four Americans evolved in the days following the attacks as more evidence and intelligence became available. It was those additional details — not political arm-twisting from the White House or other agencies — that led to changes in the agency’s analysis and talking points. Read More »

Conservative congresswoman and one-time presidential hopeful Michele Bachmann (R., Minn.) is back in the spotlight, after she said in an interview that the country wasn’t ready for a woman to be president.

In the interview with Cal Thomas published this week, Mrs. Bachmann was asked about Hillary Clinton‘s prospects in 2016. She responded that many people “aren’t ready” for a female president, even though they were ready for the first African American president. Mr. Thomas quotes her as saying: “I think there was a cachet about having an African-American president because of guilt,” adding, “People don’t hold guilt for a woman.” She said: “I don’t think there is a pent-up desire” for a woman in the oval office. Read More »

Health care isn’t expected to take a starring role in the State of the Union speech Tuesday night but that doesn’t mean it will be entirely absent.

The White House has invited Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear to sit with First Lady Michelle Obama during the speech because his state’s health insurance exchange worked surprisingly smoothly when others stumbled, and has now signed up 182,000 residents, chiefly in Medicaid. Read More »

In her videotaped declaration that she’ll not seek a fifth term, Mrs. Bachmann takes time to say that her decision was not driven by investigations into her 2012 presidential campaign. Nor did it come from fear that the Democrat who came close to defeating her last year would succeed next time around. “I’ve always in the past defeated candidates who are capable, qualified and well-funded,’’ Mrs. Bachmann says. Read More »

She said her decision was not influenced by recent inquiries into the activities of her former presidential campaign, or fear of not being re-elected.

“The law limits anyone from serving as president of the United States for more than eight years,” she said. “And in my opinion, well eight years is also long enough for an ind to serve as a rep for a specific congressional district.”

Congressional Republicans reacted strongly and negatively Thursday to President Barack Obama’s proposals to close down the U.S. prison at Guantanamo Bay, criticizing the possible move as “ill-conceived.”

They also panned his proposal to eventually repeal the post-9/11 law sending the U.S. military into action.

In response to Mr. Obama’s counterterrorism speech at the National Defense University, Rep. Ed Royce (R., Calif.), chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said closing Guantanamo would threaten the security of U.S. citizens at home and abroad… Read More »

House lawmakers will vote next week on another attempt to strike President Barack Obama’s signature health care law from the books, the third such time the House is expected to pass an outright repeal of the 2010 Affordable Care Act.

The bill is likely to be carried in the House with the support of the Republican majority, although there is no chance the Democratic-controlled Senate will take up the legislation. Read More »

About Washington Wire

Washington Wire is one of the oldest standing features in American journalism. Since the Wire launched on Sept. 20, 1940, the Journal has offered readers an informal look at the capital. Now online, the Wire provides a succession of glimpses at what’s happening behind hot stories and warnings of what to watch for in the days ahead. The Wire is led by Reid J. Epstein, with contributions from the rest of the bureau. Washington Wire now also includes Think Tank, our home for outside analysis from policy and political thinkers.